Hugely disappointed.

[J-Chow]

I disagree about the seats and agree with the armest.
Seats are pretty decent. Ridiculously comfortable (taking power naps in the car, while waiting for the wifey).
Armest is mediocre; Mazda could have raised the height just a tad bit, or extended it a bit forward. I'm 5'9 and feel I need to purposely and intentionally lean on my right side in order to rest my arm. Didn't feel natural, but it's just me and it's only a minor thing.

I don't see how the interior styling affects the way you perceive the driving dynamics of the car. Those are two completely different aspects when reviewing cars. Driving dynamics are fantastic (drove my mother's CRV a few times) and the cx-5 kills it in the corners. Feels very balanced (although i wish we had the 2.2L Diesel available in NA).

 

[RG_Flyer]

One thing to consider regarding seat bolsters is that SUV/CUV manufacturers typically use smaller side bolsters and sometimes softer foam (on the entry side) to allow easier entry/exit. SUV/CUV's sit higher than sedans and coupes. Instead of sitting down in the seat, most occupants "slide in", at least more so due to the height of the seat. High, firm bolsters would hinder easy entry/exit.

I like the understated look of the CX-5's interior. My wife's Odyssey looks like a video arcade with the multiple info screens (some redundant). I remember how elegant older BMW's and other Euro vehicles look with VDO instrumentation.

 

[V8toilet]

Had a 2009 Kia Rondo for 3 years. It was ok except it had the noisiest rear suspension I've experienced in a car. The transmission had some shifting issues too on hills that the dealer couldnt replicate. Where my Sport got 35 mpg doing 69 mph (33 with my Touring) my wife's Rondo could only muster 27.5 mpg on the same route multiple times. Other than these minor grips it was OK for cheap transportation and served us well. There is also a 2010 Kia Sportage in the family that I have driven a few times. It too has the same noisy rear suspension as my wifes Rondo had but its also been reliable. The noisy rear suspension is a design flaw, not something that was broken. My wife now has a 2012 Mazda 5 and that thing is just amazing. It handles the twisties as good or better than a CX5.

I can see where some might see the CX5 as having a so so interior depending on ones particular tastes. I personally like the simple interior layout. Most of the time Im having so much fun driving this machine that I dont even notice the interior at all. Taking the twisting off and on ramps without slowing down for them is especially gratifying especially when others try to hang with you and cant. The suspension and drive train though are superior to almost anything I have driven in the last 10 years. I love this 6 speed auto and the Skyactiv 2.5 is peppy for a 4-cylinder without a turbo. Almost all my tanks are 30 mpg and above too, which is amazing for the power it has. The CX5 is a drivers car/SUV and the Santa Fe is not even close there. My neighbor has the previous gen Santa Fe and it looks like an overstuffed cow on wheels. He cant even best 24 mpg.

 

[whisperquiet]

I own a 2013 Santa Fe Sport and the wife drives a 2014 CX5...............buy the CX5. It is not as well appointed inside as my Santa Fe, but drives a lot better with much better gas mileage. The Santa Fe is good---the CX5 is GREAT.

 

[Latitude Adj.]

Good luck with a Hyundai, my daughter had one, lots of electrical issues, windows, sunroof, A/C stopped working, airbag warning lights coming on, it reminded me of an English car and the dealers were all a bunch of weasels, the warranty wasn't worth the paper it was written on! It died completly at 150k, the only problem my CX-7 had by 150k was avoiding a tree

They loaned her a Santa Fe once, she hated the way it drove.

 

[SayNoToPistons]

Check MotorTrend's truck of the year test. Santa Fe was a contender... Too bad it had quite a lot of cons. One of which all the editors agreed on was poor quality. They complained about bad rattles and seats loosening at merely just a few thousand miles. Not surprising.

 

[Joe Las Vegas]

They need to seriously re-do the interior, back seats are flat and hard, Nav is so small it looks like my 5" phone is there, when everyone else has gone 7-8" for the past few years, steering wheel looks plain, everything look plain and cheap inside, way worse than the Sportage and the Tucson, looks like this car belonged at an auto show from 2007. I hope the 2015 model will be better inside or the CX-5 will be off my list for sure.
For the rest of you guys who think the 2013-2014 Santa Fe Sport sucks, go sit inside one, with tech package and dare tell me it isn't 100 times better looking and better designed than the CX-5, sure the driving might not be as tight and the steering might not be precise like the CX5, but with the SFS 269HP 4 banger turbo and a 10y/100,000 mile powertrain warranty, the SFS looks damn appealing.

 

[TreyP]

Considering the 2014 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport, unless they redesign the interior of the CX5 in 2014/2015.

Enjoy your Santa Fe Sport.

 

[baddad]

Then buy the Santa Fe . Why come on a CX-5 forum if the five isn't what you like ? Why come on this forum to bash the CX-5 with your personal opinion ?

 

[bluefan]

They need to seriously re-do the interior, back seats are flat and hard, Nav is so small it looks like my 5" phone is there, when everyone else has gone 7-8" for the past few years, steering wheel looks plain, everything look plain and cheap inside, way worse than the Sportage and the Tucson, looks like this car belonged at an auto show from 2007. I hope the 2015 model will be better inside or the CX-5 will be off my list for sure.
For the rest of you guys who think the 2013-2014 Santa Fe Sport sucks, go sit inside one, with tech package and dare tell me it isn't 100 times better looking and better designed than the CX-5, sure the driving might not be as tight and the steering might not be precise like the CX5, but with the SFS 269HP 4 banger turbo and a 10y/100,000 mile powertrain warranty, the SFS looks damn appealing.

It really is a matter of preference for most of your nitpickings. Bigger screen doesn't equate to better, my friend who owns a 2013 Santa Fe Sport 2.0 prefers the Mazda system over the Hyundais. The huge thing is if you're like me, you'll have the screen of 99% of the time anyways, which the Hyundai can't do. Hell, I still don't use the rear view camera haha.

Hyundai's steering wheel is unnecessarily bulky and it's "premium leather" feels just awkwardly smooth. We're talking baby butt smooth. The CX-5 has a bit of a texture feeling and is dark black, compared to the Santa Fe's smoky grey.

I'm not sure how you can say the CX-5 looks "cheap and plain". There's a difference between being cheap and plain, and being aesthetically sound. Seriously, it's not like you'll be looking at the interior while you're driving anyways...well, I hope not. Also, if memory serves, the CX-5 won some kind of interior award?

Turbo is nice, but it doesn't help with the fuel economy and from what several people I know who had a vehicle with a turbo, it's too much of a hassle as the years wear on.

 

[NewZoomer]

Then buy the Santa Fe . Why come on a CX-5 forum if the five isn't what you like ? Why come on this forum to bash the CX-5 with your personal opinion ?

What he said ^. Go figure?

 

[Kelme]

I thought Mazda was driver focused, but they didn't take into account the seats and armrest, I would gladly give up a cupholder in the middle to get a good long armrest.

It sounds like your definition of driver is very different from the definition that Mazda and car enthusiasts have in mind. If you are looking for big pilot seats, 10 screens and fake wood trims then you are looking at the wrong car.

 

[speedbegone]

where I live, getting a santa fe with the 8 inch screen is 40k compared with a cx5 gt that goes for 32k.
for the same price as the cx5, the santa fe actually gets a 4.3 inch screen without gps...

to me the cx5 interior is the closest thing to what ze germans are making... simple clean and elegant. not saying the santa fe interior is not good, just more busy, like the new ford escape. its simply a matter of preference.

 

[pt00323i]

Mazda did say they designed the interior using the BMW 3 series as the bench mark, dash, seating and reach, that was my first impression also when drove it the first time last year. I did like the Santa Fe also, both interior and exterior, seems roomier too. but top priority on my list were, the way it drives, mpg, manual. one year later still enjoy driving this thing

 

[CodyZoom]

I owned a 2011 Hyundai for 2 years, never again. Seriously, go to a Hyundai forum and see all the ridiculous problems they have. One of the more popular techs said most of the time is spent doing warranty work, reworks, or service bulliten work. Transmissions get replaced with transmissions that aren't upgraded and then repeat the same failures. And then there's the notorius wheel alignment problems across many model types. Problems are described as "performs as designed". Granted, all car companies have problems, but Hyundai makes and art out of wriggling out of warranty complaints.
Out of my last 5 new vehicles, including 2 Toyotas, 1 Plymouth, and the Hyundai, this CX 5 is by far one of the best vehicle I've owned. Great gas mileage (close to 38 mpg on a trip), ample power, great looks, smooth ride even with snow tires. Good luck finding a car these days without the "flimsy" plastic. See that term a lot. Don't know what kind of plastic a vehicle in this price range is supposed to have.
Hyundais are cheaper for a reason. Do better research.
Oh, and that wonderful 10/100,000 waranty they have is up to their interpretation of what is warranty and what is considered normal wear and tear. Good luck finding someone who had a major warranty repair close to the 100,000 mile mark.

My brother's 2010 Elantra with 48k miles needs a new transmission. We bought my wife a 2013 Elantra GT and absolutely love it, but I'm extremely nervous about the reliability after say....40-50k miles. Time will tell...

 

[TreyP]

If you are looking for big pilot seats, 10” screens and fake wood trims then you are looking at the wrong car.

I lol'ed.

 

[costermonger]

where I live, getting a santa fe with the 8 inch screen is 40k compared with a cx5 gt that goes for 32k.
for the same price as the cx5, the santa fe actually gets a 4.3 inch screen without gps...

to me the cx5 interior is the closest thing to what ze germans are making... simple clean and elegant. not saying the santa fe interior is not good, just more busy, like the new ford escape. its simply a matter of preference.

I think an added advantage of the relatively simple/clean designs the Germans (and Mazda) use is that they don't age like bell-bottoms and tie-die t-shirts, which is what will happen (IMO) to the current trend of inserting as many angles, polygons and shiny bits of plastic as possible.

 

[xtrailman]

I liked the SF interior, but the car to drive isn't for me.

What I like about the CX-5 is the plastic wood, unlike the alli trim on the Audi (german) I had, which I still disliked 4 years later, and the alli easily marked.
I dislike intensely the alli plastic trim, very tacky.

 

[pt00323i]

My brother's 2010 Elantra with 48k miles needs a new transmission. We bought my wife a 2013 Elantra GT and absolutely love it, but I'm extremely nervous about the reliability after say....40-50k miles. Time will tell...

don't they come with 10yr/100k warranty, if so no worries just have them fix it.

 

[CX-SV]

don't they come with 10yr/100k warranty, if so no worries just have them fix it.

Yes, 100K powertrain coverage applies to original owner only, so it does nothing for resale value.